Hyundai Sonata

The new 8th generation Hyundai Sonata was launched in 2020. The new D-segment Sonata is built on an entirely new platform that emphasizes design, safety, efficiency, power and driving performance. It is the company’s first car that is based on Hyundai’s Sensuous Purity design language. 

There is only one variant available and it is the Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium. It is fully imported from South Korea and is priced at RM206, 888.

However, the first 50 units will be sold at an introductory price of RM189, 888.

The dashboard design is rich, slim and modern looking with a nice two-tone color scheme. The height of the dashboard is compressed as much as possible to enhance the light-weight feeling. The overall clean and sleek designs are seamless with no parting lines which make the outlook of the dashboard very unified and solid.

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium gets a 12.3-inch supervision full TFT-LCD digital instrument panel with a head-up display unit. 

The seats are finished in full leather upholstery. It gets an 8-way powered driver’s seat with 2-way lumbar adjustment and memory function and 4-way powered front passenger seat.  

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium offers plenty of head and legroom considering the low roof-line, it provides ample space for the front and rear occupants to move about. 

It has practical storage areas including medium sized door pockets, cavern storage space inside the center console’s armrest and a decent-sized glove box.

There are 4 cup holders, 2 located in the front center console, while the other 2 located at the rear’s center armrest. As for bottle holders, it gets 4 with each one located in the side door panels. 

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium gets one 12-volt power socket with 2 USB ports up front in the center console and 1 at the back. Apart from that it also gets a wireless charging system equipped with a temperature sensor and cooling function. 

With 510-litres of boot space it is able to fit up to 2 golf bags and also a medium sized suitcase at the same time with ease. 

The measurements are 4,900 mm length, 1,890 mm width, 1,445 mm height, and weigh 1,448 kg with a wheelbase spanning 2,840 mm.

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium exudes a sleek and sporty exterior with a front bumper that is aerodynamically styled. Paired with a large and aggressive cascading grille with integrated air curtains on the edges of the front bumper. It also has integrated LED daytime running lights that fade out along the chrome strip on the bonnet. Upon turning off the DRLs, the strips appear as chrome, and this is achieved via laser-etched perforations.

At the rear, it gets a new sporty design. It’s designed with an upswept rear deck, an integrated ducktail spoiler, roof-mounted third brake lights and a large Sonata script across the middle boot. The rear bumper gets an integrated sporty diffuser with thin slit-like fog lights.

It gets a pair of sharp and slim acute triangle shape headlamps that come with full LED units and fitted with daytime running LEDs that are integrated into the chrome strip of the front bumper. The sharp design gives the front a more focused and athletic look.

At the back, the tail lamps get full LED units and are in a thin and sharp claw-like shape with continuous LED strip brake lights stretching across the boot connecting them.

The side mirrors are power adjusted and power folded with turn-indicators and blind-spot view indicators.   

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium is equipped with 18-inch, two-toned multi-spoke bladed design alloy rims with 235/45 Continental PremiumContact 6 tyres.

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium features Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC), Brake Assist System (BAS), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), auto cruise control, front and rear parking assist system with 360 degree view camera and the new Surround View Monitor (SVM) and Blind spot view monitoring (BVM).

Passive safety includes 6 airbags which includes front, side and curtain, seat belt anchors, reminders and pre-tensioners, front and rear parking sensors, ISOFIX, security alarm with immobilizer and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

Four drive modes available – Smart, Comfort, Eco and Sport.

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium features an 8-inch floating type advanced display audio touchscreen head unit that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. 

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium’s Blind spot view monitoring (BVM) system which uses cameras on both sides of the car and displays the live feed in the instrument cluster will make driving on the highway a much more relaxing task and also the Surround view monitor (SVM) system which uses the AV head unit to serve up a 360-degree bird’s eye view of the car and its surroundings will eliminate the difficulties of parking in tight spots.

The G2.5-litre Smartstream MPI, naturally-aspirated, 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC with CVVT engine produces 180 PS of max power at 6,000 rpm and 232 Nm of max torque at 4,000 rpm.

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium gets a 6-speed automatic transmission with an electronic shift button gear system.  

Power is sent to its front wheels.

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium can go from 0-100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 210 km/h. 

The fuel tank capacity is 70-litres and it is capable of delivering a combined fuel consumption figure of 8.8-litres for every 100 km.  

It has a smart keyless entry with an engine push-button start, remote powered boot operation, dual-zone automatic climate control, multi-function steering wheel, steering tilt and telescopic functions, 8-way powered driver’s seat with 2-way lumbar adjustment and memory function and 4-way powered front passenger seat, wireless charger with temperature sensor and cooling function, 360-degree camera, rearview camera with front and rear parking sensors, an electronic chromic rear-view mirror, auto light control, paddle shifters and auto headlights.

There’s a rear air vent located at the centre, behind the front occupant’s arm rest.

The interior atmosphere feels premium. Overall, it is comfortable, spacious and the ride quality is good. The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium’s performance and handling are more refined and agile. 

The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium has good sound insulation. It suppresses the wind, road and tyre noises sufficiently and makes it barely noticeable. 

The 8th generation Hyundai Sonata has all the right mixes to be a great D-segment vehicle. It offers modern and athletic looks, a lovely premium feel cabin, generous safety equipment, and a powerful engine altogether. 

The new Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium has an interior with luxurious leather seats and a sleek instrument panel equipped with technology that puts you in control. The exterior on the other hand, gives out an outlook that is aerodynamic, masculine and sporty while still able to maintain an elegance and sophisticated presence.

With all its glory, the price has also increased slightly over the previous generation model. The Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium is selling at the price of RM206, 888 but with it came a much more sophisticated and advanced model.